What About Love
by flawsinscience
Summary: Another Elizabeth!whomp story, what if it was Elizabeth that was unwell and not the President, set circa season 4. In progress - COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

_I appear to have taken to writing Elizabeth!whomp fiction, after feedback from my other story that I promise to finish at some point I've changed styles slightly. This is also fully written so expect quick uploads...I'll keep the number of chapters quiet, keep y'all on your toes. Usual disclaimers apply_ Chapter 1

Elizabeth sat on the edge of her bed, the light pyjama top rippling against her warm skin as she rubbed her temples in frustration. Inhaling deeply she reached for her glasses and attempted to focus on her phone. 'What's the matter babe?' Henry grumbled still half asleep.

'Another, freaking headache' she sighed woefully. 'And WHN' she got up and felt herself go woozy, taking a second to reach equilibrium.

'I'll get you some coffee, and advil' Henry jumped out of bed cuddling his wife as she floated across the room to get a shower. She had been particularly stressed lately, her woes resting on a world lilting from crisis to crisis.

It was a few weeks away from Christmas and he prayed that the religious celebrations of the globe may cause them enough peace to get out to the farm for a long weekend. He stumbled down the stairs, filling the coffee pot whilst he tried to wake up properly.

'Did I mention you are the best human in the land?' Elizabeth smiled as she came down the stairs, pressed and ready for the day. Her thin body clad in a pale grey skirt and white blouse. He handed her some coffee and a bagel, toasted and slathered in peanut butter. She wrinkled her nose at the food. 'Just the advil? I'm a little nauseous.'

'Nope, you're a prime candidate for an ulcer.' He watched her take a few mouthfuls, gagging like she had when she was pregnant. 'Ok,' he smiled, 'now you may have your advil' he dispensed it into her hand and gave her some water, instinctively reaching for her forehead with his hand. 'No fever.'

'I'm fine, I think it's the stress, if I'm no better by tonight I'll get back in touch Dr Mccord' He was slightly taken a back but then caught her wry smile. She leant in for a hug and he relished the moment squeezing her and almost causing the coffee to spill. 'check in at lunchtime babe? That way if we need to get in touch with your doctor we'll get time?' He heard her chortle, she wouldn't go unless it was necessary, and wait until things got really bad, but at least he had planted the seed.

'I love you' he yelled as she shut the inner door. Reaching for his phone he messaged Blake to ask him to keep an eye on her.

 _Certainly Dr Mccord, should I ration the caffeine?_

 _No, you'll not survive the day._

Henry chucked as he got a skull emoticon back, heading upstairs to rally Jason for school.

MSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMS

Elizabeth jumped into her motorcade as the crisp winter air hit her lungs, she felt overheated already, a feeling normally reserved for the situation room. She often pondered why they didn't have the air con upgraded in that windowless pit. Nausea overtook her as the SUV lurched onto Washington Avenue, 'careful Matt, I'll end up wearing my breakfast' he caught her eye in the rear view mirror.

'Sure Madam Secretary, Russell asked me to put a step on it' Elizabeth rolled her eyes. The advil was taking a while to kick in, mindfulness she figured might ease the tension. She could get a minute in whilst they went through security, tapping her wrist the breath app pinged on her watch, guiding her to focus on the task at hand.

Handing her coat to the aide who met her at the white house she carefully took the steps in one at a time, placing her hand on the palm reader to get access to the room, slipping her glasses off as she met the retinal scan front on.

MSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMS

After a long and arduous morning figuring out another Russian drama she sat down to her desk, a pile of note stacked for her attention. 'Lunch?' Blake was hanging her jacket and tidying her light grey cashmere pashmina into order, he had bought her it as a Christmas gift and it was her go piece now, he appreciated people who liked style.

'Ehm, just some Fruit and a coffee please Blake' she started flipping through the files, her vision still intermittently swimming.

'Matt kept a bear-claw for you from the morning meeting, I'll take that through as well.' He could see her struggling more than normal, the grimace of pain on her forehead.

'Great, thanks. You better put Henry's call through as well.' Blake smirked, she knew that Henry had been asking him to keep an eye on her and he knew he would tell a bit of a white lie to keep her husband happy. It was a dance they repeated on a daily basis, the American Smooth of micromanaging Bess when she wasn't quite aware of needing to ease off the gas a bit.

'Henry…. I'm fine' she took her pen out, realising the stack was signing for her attention. 'Blake's getting me some fruit, and a bear-claw.' She started launching the manila folders onto the floor as she scrawled on them. 'Headaches, feeling nauseated and dizzy are either pregnancy or hysteria, don't you think the doctor is a bit of overkill?' Standing up she placed the phone in reach of her sofa as she walked over to sit down. 'Henry, I'll be okay.' As she sat down her vision swam more than it had and she let the phone drop, slumping onto her sofa as her head pounded. Henry began yelling down the phone, ringing off and calling Blake.

'Get the medic' he demanded down the phone, 'I'm on my way over.' He didn't really care that it would cause a scene, his wife, for no good reason had fainted in her office. 'She needs to see her doctor today, clear her schedule.'

By the time Henry had rushed to his wife's side she had regained a bit of colour and was sitting up. A medic was checking her pulse and blood pressure as she answered his interrogation. 'No, it's probably a viral thing, White house is a smorgasbord of germs. Oh hi,' she smiled watching Henry cross the room and take the seat beside her, distracting herself from the fussing going on. 'I'm okay, pulse is a bit fast but it's okay'

'BP is 150/60. Mam that's that not your baseline.' She nodded, looking away as the cuff was taken off and tidied away. Her shirt was untucked and crumpled, 'I don't think you should continue work today, if it's a virus these things normally go quicker if you rest at home and stay hydrated.'

'She's going to see her own doctor at 2pm' Henry stated matter of fact, rubbing gentle circles on her back, she shot him a pleading look,' no arguments Elizabeth, you don't faint for no reason.'

'You're being dramatic. But if it stops you worrying…fine' Blake had come back into the room with a small plate of fruit and some herbal tea. 'I'm not really hungry.'

'I don't really care babe, you need to eat a little something.' Henry held the plate beside her as she picked up the fork and gingerly started eating the melon, giving him side eye as he watched to make sure she ate everything.

'The Motorcade will be ready in 10 minutes, I'll have Gerrard the medic send the vitals over to your doctor's office and give you guys some peace.' Henry silently thanked Blake and continued to cajole Elizabeth into eating more food.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After a brief consultation Elizabeth sat in the doctors' office, a nicer one with wooden panels, discrete medical paraphernalia and better lighting. They'd moved to an adjacent exam room as Dr Walden looked Elizabeth over from top to toe, Henry at her side as her doctor worked meticulously through her examinations. He knew that Elizabeth hated being vulnerable, she'd proven that point when her appendix had ruptured before she went to her doctor for help at college. He stood close, squeezing her hand as the kindly doctor switched from tapping to listening with a stethoscope, working around her undershirt.

The occasional hmm's and noises had unsettled Henry, he didn't want to face his wife being unwell in any significant way. 'Get yourself dressed Elizabeth, I'm going to contact radiology and see if they can book you in for a scan while you are here.'

Henry nodded as he helped Bess get her blouse back on and straightened out her skirt, 'this doesn't sound good' she summarised, 'I don't feel that bad.' Looking up at Henry he was evidently thinking the same thing.

'Lets deal with things one at a time, you want your scarf on just now?' Henry watched her adjust it, a protective blanket, helping her jump down off the table and back to the main office, one hand at her back guiding both of them to the seats. They sat looking awkwardly at one another as the Dr finished up her call his hand reaching for hers.

'Your symptoms indicate something isn't right, I suspect given the headaches, intermittent nature of things and the collapse today there's an outside chance it's something called a phaeochromocytoma. These are exceedingly rare but easily missed. Worst case these can be a cancer but 90% of the time they're pesky benign lumps that sit in the adrenal gland, above the kidney. They cause your body to produce too much stress hormones and adrenaline that leave you feeling like this. I notice you've lost almost a stone which again points to this. If it isn't that your bloods will give us more information but if it is I want to know quickly so you're not out of action too long.' The doctor closed Elizabeth's medical file as Henry and Bess sat looking stunned, this morning it was headaches, now it was possibly cancer. He squeezed her hand tightly as she processed, biting her lip nervously.

'Out of action how?' she asked, unsure if she wanted to know the answer.

'Surgery, probably a pretty big op but lets get the scan done today and you can get bloods done before you leave my office.' Dr Walder handed her a request form, 'the scan will give us more information and help us work out why you feel so bad. You need to feel better soon.' She gave them both a kindly smile, it wasn't easy being the doctor for someone so vital for the country's political landscape.

'Can you give us recommendations for a surgeon if we need one?' Henry had switched to practical mode, his military training kicking in as they tried to process the information.

'Certainly, we may also need to get meds to tide you over till then so I'll be in touch later tonight by phone if that's okay.' They nodded in unison, 'you need to take it easy Elizabeth, I know your job precludes that, but you'd be wise to heed my advice, if you've collapsed once from this it may happen again.'

They thanked the Dr and headed down the corridor towards the nurses room for blood tests, Elizabeth too numb to feel the needle as various tubes were filled quickly. Henry drew absent minded circles on her shoulder, her face pressed into his side as they finished up. 'This is going to look conspicuous, the two of us and my detail heading to the hospital.' Elizabeth groaned as the loaded back into her motorcade to cross the GW hospital campus to radiology. 'Matt, any chance of just you coming in with us?' she asked. Sensing his charge's stress and vulnerability he nodded. 'Long as one of us is at a distance on the same floor near the lifts.' She nodded, gripping Henry's hand as the pulled up in valet parking.

Hospital corridors were always designed against people, tortuous and all the same beige colour Henry mused, except the radiation unit he ended up in, that was blue. Blue so people didn't come too close. They checked in and were shown to a small private waiting area, Elizabeth pacing the room trying to work out quite what was happening. They had to decide what and how to tell the children, she'd need time off work, if she'd be allowed back till things were fixed, the President might think she's not fit for duty any more, Henry was going through this as much as she was, neither of them nor their families had been plagued with illness particularly.

'Madam Secretary we need you to change into this' the tech had interrupted her reverie thrusting a hospital gown at her, 'metal obscure's the picture so we need your bra off as well, you can change in there and I'll take you into the scanning room.' The tech pointed to a small changing room in the corner.

She looked stunned, fixating on the gown as if it symbolised her weakness, her vulnerability. 'We won't be long,' Henry grabbed the gown and the tech took her leave immediately. 'Babe, we take this one step at a time, let's go get this thing on so you don't break the machine.' She smiled at his joke and followed him to the cubicle. He helped her shed the winter wool coat and undo her shirt for what felt like the thousandth time. He had her spin around, the room slightly crampt, and carefully undid the clasps on her bra. Elizabeth shivered against the air conditioning, her shoulder blades poking out like pale mountains. Henry was careful to pull the hospital gown over her arms, tying it behind her as she reached for the zipper of her skirt. He took the moment to give her a hug, holding her tightly as she stood, willing back the tears that threatened to fall. 'we'll be okay' his breath warmed her neck.

'I bloody hope so, I'm not ready to go anywhere.' She sighed, looking to the tiled roof. 'Let's get this over with,'

'That's my girl' He smiled, taking her hand as they walked out to the tech waiting patiently, they quickly got her into the scanning room onto the table. He watched from the door as she was positioned correctly, her arms above her head. He was promptly asked to leave, giving her a wink of reassurance.

It wasn't long before they were back in her car and on their way home, the emotional toll of the afternoon weighed heavy on her shoulders. Blake was arranging to get some urgent papers brought to the house so she could prevent any further funny turns before she heard from her doctors.

'You know the kids aren't going to be home for a while, why don't we take a nap together' Henry led her up the stairs and looked out comfy clothing, knowing they needed a break. Her red hot chilli peppers t shift only emphasised her weight loss as he helped her lie down, his arms wrapped easily around her shrinking waist. 'It will be okay, wont it?' He wasn't sure if he was reassuring himself or her, but they were team McCord and it would take the collective family strength to defeat whatever they were facing up to.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Her phone buzzing on the nightstand woke Elizabeth up, it was just shy of 6pm and pitch black outside. 'Hello,' she answered, not recognising the mobile number. 'Oh Hi Dr Waldon' she shook Henrys shoulder as she listened down the line, he could see her agitation as she rubbed her legs, moving the phone so he could hear. 'When?' she bit her lip as the doctor continued talking. 'M'kay,'… 'can I go to work before then?' she rolled her eyes as further instructions came down the line. 'yeah, we'll go pick them up tonight and I promise I'll make it by 6 tomorrow.'

Elizabeth hung up the phone and turned to focus on Henry's face, 'I have,' she took a deep breath,'I have a 3 cm lesion on the right adrenal gland,' the statement hung in the air, the sound of his stomach lurching. 'They, they want me to get surgery Monday morning, we need to pick up a script for blood pressure pills to control that before then.' Henry pulled her close, her head resting wearily on her shoulder. 'she's already talking to the specialist surgeon, we'll need to sit down with an anaesthesiologist too as it's super risky.' Her breath caught, her hands toying nervously with the bedsheets, tears threatening.

'I'll call a family meeting and get your meds picked up,' Henry 'I presume we're meeting the team tomorrow at 6?' She nodded, slumping into his space. 'we know what's going on, that's a start.'

Before they even sat down to eat Henry and Elizabeth had corralled the children and requested Stevie make it home on time. Their relaxed family home had an odd vibe, a tension of uncertainty lingering, threatening. They sat in the formal front room, Alison and Jason in the seats, Stevie slumped on the sofa. 'We had some news about mom today,' Henry began, explaining in his calm, measured tone about the symptoms Bess had and the collapse at work. 'I dragged mom to the doctor today,' they all nervously smiled, knowing that wouldn't have gone down well.

'I have what they suspect is a non-cancerous lump above my kidney, it's producing stress hormones which explains the symptoms.' Bess grimaced, 'I'm being scheduled to undergo surgery on Monday.'

'How? What?' Alison was speechless.

'We don't know baby,' Bess held onto Henry's hand. 'The doctors think it's gonna be a complicated procedure too. We meet the surgeon and anaesthesiology tomorrow.'

'You'll need to follow doctor's instructions afterwards then,' Stevie observed, remembering her mom's determination to get home quickly after Jason's complicated birth.

'I can't make any promises' Henry squeezed his wife playfully, 'okay, okay, I'll try my best?' she had a hopeful tone. 'For the first time in a while I'm hungry, what's for dinner?'

'I vote pizza,' Alison got up and headed for the kitchen, '2 veggie, 2 peperoni,' Jason sat for a while, trying to think of something clever to say.

'You're gonna do great mom' his slightly awkward tone made Elizabeth smile, he was her baby boy and despite being an obnoxious obstinate teenager their bond held strong. She stood up and gave him a hug.

'You betcha' she sat back into Henry's arms, their children squabbling over which pizza place to use. 'Baby steps right?' she whispered, her fragility evident under the façade that was slowly building.

'Baby steps,' Henry agreed, 'but I'm getting you a pizza to yourself, we need to get you strong as we can for Monday.' She wrinkled her nose in disgust, 'can I not get ice cream instead?'

'Okay, a whole pizza and ice cream, in fact, I'll grab a tub a night for you,' he looked optimistic at her, their connection lost as the house phone rang, usually indicating they had a visitor. 'President Dalton's dropping by apparently, they've just left the White House.' Bess rolled her eyes.

'I'm about to get grounded' she grumped, stomping upstairs to put on a more respectable jumper.

MSMSMSMSMSMSMSMSMS

'Good evening Mr President,' Elizabeth smiled weakly, holding the door open for Conrad and Russell Jackson who was furiously typing on his phone. 'Russell' she got a groan in response. 'Take a seat, we've got Pizza on order if you want a slice.'

Conrad held his hand to kindly decline her offer, 'Bess, you collapsed at work?' his voice was measured, equally weighted with concern and not being surprised she would forgo looking after herself.

'Yeah, I've been feeling a bit off for a while, nothing specific and it came to a head today' she was playing it down, 'Henry dragged me to my doctor's office and we found out that I have a tumour' she paused, watching Russell suddenly switch his attention towards her. 'It's most likely something called a phaeo-chromo-something, that spurts stress hormones into my system and causes the symptoms I've had'

'Oh Bess,' Conrad couldn't help but sound fatherly, he had a soft spot for her, having been friends long enough to have been at their wedding. 'How do they treat that?'

'Surgery, probably a pretty big one…. Likely Monday. We're still thrashing out the details at the moment,'

'And she needs to take it easy until then, the collapses could keep happening.' Henry interjected knowing she would want things to continue as normal until then.

'Henry I'm still going into work, I need to make sure we're on a good footing until I go off' Bess shot him a look, knowing Henry would prefer her to rest at home until the surgery.

'Then I'm confining you to barracks, if I need to speak to you I'll get civix set up and you can work from the 7th floor only' Conrad's face told her that plan wasn't up to negotiation, 'and we can figure out the situation room if need be.'

'We'll get the undersecretary to take some of the pressure off too' Russell added, indicating he had been listening, 'hell, I should know what pushing yourself too much can lead too.'

'And whatever time you need off we'll grant, you need to heed the medical advice Bess' she gave Conrad a pained look, 'I'll personally check how much time they want you to take off, not a moment sooner will you be let back in,'

She sat back into the sofa looking rejected, grateful under the surface that she had friends that had her back but annoyed that she was effectively being babied.

'Anyway, I think I can smell pizza, we'll head off and Lydia and I will catch up before your surgery in person, if that's okay?' Henry nodded.

'Certainly, thank you Mr President, I'm sure we're going to get through this just fine,' Conrad stood up to give Bess a hug and left swiftly, the kids filtering through to their dining table with pizza of every flavour.

'You guys went a bit overboard,' Elizabeth sighed, 'Any ham and pineapple?'

'Hawaiian incoming' Jason yelled, haphazardly dropping a few slices onto her plate.

'I need distracting so we need news, lots of good news.' Elizabeth took a tiny bite of pizza. They started the usual meal time banter, regaling tales of the day and competing for who had the busiest day.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It had been a tough few days, telling her staff about what was going on was difficult, she knew they'd been holding stuff back since the news broke. She'd spent the majority of her time sitting on her butt at an empty desk, offering advice from her chair and not being allowed to move from her office by Blake. She'd conferenced in to the situation room on a couple of occasions and had ended up taking a nap on the Friday morning due to a lack of anything requiring her attention. Henry had been by her side every lunchtime, personally making sure she'd been eating enough to build up her strength.

She'd phoned Will late one night explaining what had been happening and what the plans were, he grilled her in a half medical half family manner, gulping a couple times on the phone. He was tied up with training in London for the foreseeable and was due out to Africa for a two-week surgical mission but he would stay in touch and if she needed him he'd come but being pragmatic like his sister he figured she'd have it under control. Knowing her kids kept in touch with their uncle using some ungodly social media platform she promised to let them keep him in the loop.

The meeting with her surgeon and anaesthesiologist was difficult. They had a pretty dim picture painted, she was going to need at least step-down care after the procedure or possibly intensive care, they'd have to leave a 4 inch scar at best, a 12 inch one at worst if they had to convert to an open surgery. They'd had an impromptu physiology lesson from the anaesthesiologist who explained that her blood pressure would be a challenge to manage and they'd have to get her on a blood pressure infusion the night before as well as hydrating her properly. She was at increased risk of a heart attack, strokes and bleeding due to the nature and location of the surgery. They wouldn't know more until the proceedure was underway. Henry was more freaked out after the meeting than Bess, she'd understood their plan and felt that she was in good hands. They prayed she wouldn't need the bigger procedure as the recovery would be tougher.

Before she left on Friday her team had brought her 'Elizabeth's survival pack for the hospital' luxury hand cream, super soft socks, luxurious pyjamas and an eye mask. Jay had slipped in a really dull briefing paper in case she hadn't been able to sleep. They'd promised to stay in touch and stop by once she was up to visitors which she appreciated. The office was at least on a good footing as she left, crises under control and no impending dramas on the horizon.

Henry had helped her pack, a slightly different packing that her normal business trips, she'd stuffed a small case with everything comfortable, some workout stuff in case she needed physio post op and more pyjamas. They had a family night on the Saturday, watching a movie whilst Elizabeth ate her fifth tub of ice cream that week. Henry had taken her up to bed and had his way, exploring her body with his hands casting her unblemished skin to his memory, knowing they wouldn't be able to be intimate until she was properly healed. She'd asked if he would find her less attractive with an abdomen covered in scars (they'd total four but 3 would be ¼ of an inch) and he shot her down, knowing he would rather she be healthy and that scars showed she was strong and badass. She'd chortled in the cute, relaxed happy way he so adored about her.

They'd gone to church on the Sunday morning as a family at Henry's insistence. She knew he needed to get his strength from somewhere and faith was his go to. They'd taken communion and he'd held her hand as they prayed, tears threatening as she slowly switched into focussed mode. The next few days were, perhaps, going to be her toughest yet.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you for the wonderful feedback, reviews are always appreciated, if you're a follower hit the review button and let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy the next instalment. This was a continuation of the last chapter but I split them down to eek out the angst..._

CHAPTER 5

They'd set off for the hospital late afternoon, Henry opting to drive her in and keep her privacy as much as possible. They needed time to trawl through the admin nightmare and get her settled in and the infusion started. She'd been given her name band, officially doctrinating her into the hospital and escorted to a private wing of the hospital, arranged by her security team to give them peace.

Henry had helped her unpack, she'd sat on the edge of the bed looking at the gown lying on the bed intermittently. She had no idea of clothing etiquette but knew she didn't want to be playing the sick role sooner that she needed to be, they knew friends would be stopping by tonight to break up the boredom. Her reverie was interrupted as Henry put her ipad and laptop on the table and sat beside her. He silently took her hand as she crumpled into his side, letting the moment settle around them.

There was a knock on the door and a younger looking nurse came into the room, 'Hello Madam Secretary, my name is Esther' her bright auburn hair bounced as she went to the computer, tapping on the keyboard with efficiency.

'Elizabeth' she corrected, smiling back as Henry stood up to continue sorting her belongings, 'I'm not at work so Elizabeth is fine.'

'Gotcha, Elizabeth,' the nurse turned round 'I need to take a set of vitals and then put an IV line in to get the infusions started, your team have left the orders already.' The monitor to the left of the bed flickered into life. 'Do you have any questions?'

'Actually, yes, do I need to put this on?' Elizabeth motioned to the gown, 'I've got people stopping by tonight, probably the President as well, it's not very….'

'glamourous,' Elizabeth was already liking her nurse, 'no, not tonight. Tomorrow morning for sure and until your wounds settle you'll maybe want to wear it as it stops clothes getting ruined but not tonight, we'll just unhook the IV if you need to change.' Elizabeth lifted her arm as the blood pressure cuff was attached, watching Henry silently put the gown in her locker. She felt a chill down her spine as the heart monitor was attached, wires weaving under her shirt as she naturally relaxed back into the bed to let her vitals settle. She'd come in prepared to lounge for the day, yoga pants and a cute top/cardigan combination.

'Perfect, your BP is down from when it was done in your doctor's office which is good, put your left arm up on this pillow and we'll get the IV bit over with,' she reached for the tray she'd carried in, Henry slid onto the bed beside Elizabeth gathering her as close as he could.

'Not a fan?' Esther asked, applying the tourniquet and tapping up a vein in her forearm.

'I don't think anyone is, I sometimes get a bit faint.' Elizabeth sighed. 'Necessary evil though,'

'Sure,' Esther cleaned the secretary's skin in preparation, 'so if I meet Mr President what will I think? He seems like a good guy on the TV.'

'You'll like him, he's charming and kind, just like on the TV' distracting Elizabeth had given Esther time to do the business end of the procedure, moving on to draw some bloods before attaching the port tubing. 'You're good,' Elizabeth added, looking at the clear dressing on her arm.

'Years of practice' Esther smiled ' I need to pop out and grab the IV pole, won't be long.'

Henry turned to face Elizabeth, 'you're doing great, this seems easy so far,' he smiled, his hand intertwined with hers, rubbing circles on her palm. 'I'll let the kids know once we're all set, they seem to have a great movie selection too, or do you fancy taking a nap?'

'Movie so I can surreptitiously nap sounds like a plan' Bess smiled her breath heavy against his side, releasing her hand to trace over the port in her forearm. 'I'll need to text Will too,' Esther re-appeared, corralling an IV pole with a huge pump and several bags of fluid hanging from it.

'It looks worse than it is,' Esther smiled, 'This one is the blood pressure medication and these are the four bags of fluids we're giving you tonight.' She unhooked the connection, cleaning both ends and hooking it up to Elizabeth's IV. 'If it starts beeping for any reason just give me a shout, we'll do your BP hourly, if you've got company I'll just slip in and get it done, if you're in bed we'll keep you on the monitors but if you need the loo, and unfortunately you'll be up a lot, you can just disconnect here and the pole is charged up so you just take that with you.'

Elizabeth smiled as her IV was taped down 'sounds good.' Esther left them to it as Henry sat beside his wife on the bed, flicking through the movie channels as Elizabeth texted various people to let them know she was settled. 'Are you okay?' she asked, rubbing her free hand in Henry's hair as the movie progressed. She was surprised that sleep hadn't overtaken her.

'Yeah, I'm not the one with needles in my arm…' he mumbled, squeezing her as he spoke, 'I'm so proud of you, you know that!' she kissed his head in response, 'this reminds me somewhat of Stevie's birth, remember how you needed the drip then to start things off?' she smiled, that had been her worst birth experience.

The door opened as their kids appeared, 'Right on time, Stevie your ears must have been burning' she smiled as they came over to hug her, careful of her new wiring.

'This looks extreme,' Ally commented, throwing a worried look at the monitor's and pump.

'Pre-gaming for surgery,' Elizabeth replied, 'this is the fluids and BP medication and these' she lifted the monitor 'are making sure I'm okay.'

'Why should my ears be burning?' Stevie had sat down on the sofa bed.

'When mom was in labour with you they had to start things off like this with a drip,' Henry smiled, 'that was a super fun 72 hour marathon.'

'So worth it though.' Eliazbeth added, feeling the cuff on her arm squeeze again. They descended into distracting conversation and chatter as the sun began setting, her pump had thrown one hissy fit but Esther had quickly sorted it out and was introduced to the kids. As darkness enveloped the airy room Elizabeth let the kids get home, they'd decided to have them just come visit rather than hang around. They'd not go to classes and so on the next day but still had work to do before then. One by one they had said their goodbyes ahead of the next day, hugging their mama as tight as they could. They wouldn't see her before surgery as she was due down to pre-op at 6 am.

'We love you' they chorused heading out reluctantly.

'I love you too' her voice faltered as Henry left briefly to see them out. She unhooked her heart monitor, deciding she couldn't delay trying to get to the bathroom any longer, it felt strange trailing a huge stand with her as she moved awkwardly into the bathroom. She couldn't help feeling overwhelmed, the finality of saying goodbye to her babies as she rapidly approached the surgery. The risk of having a stroke under anaesthesia, of having a heart attack, of bleeding out, of developing an infection or suffering internal damage had all been theoretical until now. The tears started rolling down her cheek, unstoppable as she heard Henry return.

'Woah, baby,' he careful shifted the pole to kneel in front of her in the small bathroom, gathering her mess of golden hair into his shoulder and letting her sob. 'You're okay, we're gonna be okay sweetheart.'

'A week ago I was just having some headaches, today…' she sighed in frustration, 'and today I'm in the dam hospital and having major dangerous surgery tomorrow, I can't control what will happen and…. I'm scared Henry' she started sobbing into his shoulder again as he helped her up and back to the bed. He rubbed her back, helping her reconnect to the monitor and settle down. Her phone starting pinging on the table as she got a text telling them Conrad would be there shortly. 'Do my eyes look puffy?' she asked.

'No, they look cute,' he smiled squeezing her hand as they waited. Esther had nipped back to do more vitals check and switch out the first bag of fluid so as not to interrupt their visit, they entourage had clopped down the corridor as they were finishing up and Conrad was ever the gentleman as Esther stuttered in his presence. He distracted quickly though seeing one of his oldest friends looking sicker than she had looked previously. He and Lydia appeared together, dressed down for a change enquiring that she was being looked after well and she was doing okay. They all agreed the tumour didn't stand a chance and she'd be back in the situation room before long, but that she needed to listen to the advice about resting and healing up properly. They left a beautiful bunch of hydrangea to spruce her room up and swiftly left as quickly as they'd arrived.

'We should get ready for bed' Henry started digging out their pyjamas, having elected to stay at his wife's bedside. 'some of us aren't having a sleep tomorrow,' he pushed the call button and watched her change her bottom half as they waited to be disconnected to finish getting changed. He helped her undo her bra strap, the extra wiring and fatigue leading to an albeit cute bout of frustration. He'd lifted the soft luxury pyjamas over her back, his breath warming her cool skin as he did the buttons up.

They had the monitors turned away from the bed and the IV was switched to quiet as they turned the lights out and tried to settle, it felt odd being in the same room and not the same bed. It was a reassuring low light, much like a night light in the corner. Her bed stretched out flat and Henry could tell she was trying to settle onto her side as normal but the wires were at risk of tangling. Against the moonlight she looked peaceful but frail, her thin frame lost under the oversized blankets, swamped by the shadow of the pump. She would be okay tomorrow, they had an expert team around her and she was the strongest human he knew but it was still super risky. His mind wandered to bad places as he visioned having to make terrible decisions on her behalf, of her being stuck on a ventilator not able to do anything, of being severely disabled. He reached his hand through the side of the bedrails and held her hand reassuring them both, listening as her breath evened and she drifted from consciousness.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

The day began early, Esther, back on shift had appeared quietly at 5am to get Elizabeth ready, despite a couple of hissy fits they had both managed some sleep in the peaceful corner room. Still in his pyjamas he waited till Esther had disconnected all the wiring and offered to help get Elizabeth into the gown. Sitting on the edge of the bed she looked at him, a mix of overwhelming fear, strength and worry sat in her features. The anguish and anticipation sat in the air as she let him slip her top off and fix the robe on much like he had the other day. She slipped off her bottoms and reached for the compression socks, fighting them into place. Henry enveloped her in a hug, kissing her hair and drinking in her scent in the moment of privacy. 'You got this babe,' he whispered over and over again.

'I love you so much Henry Mccord,' she replied, hugging him back, 'whatever comes of today I love you, I loved you before I knew you and I will always love you.'

Standing up she ventured unattached to the toilet before Esther came back and reconnected everything, moving a portable monitor onto the IV pole. 'We can call a gurney up to take you down to pre-op or you can walk down?'

'Oh walk, definitely, he just needs to get a shake on and get dressed' she beamed at Henry who was looking out clothes for the day.

'Perfect, we'll head down in 10 minutes so I'll leave you guys in peace.' Esther took her leave as Elizabeth lifted her phone off the charger.

'Good luck messages from like everyone' she smiled, her team would be getting up for work, the president would be getting up for his daily walk before work and Russell was probably already in the office.

'Wanna facetime the kids, Stevie's rounded Ali and Jase up,' Henry replied, holding his phone at arms length so they could both fit on the screen. 'Hey guys' he grinned as the three kids appeared, huddled in one bed, likely Jason's.

'Hey mom, did you sleep?'

'I did, mostly, a couple of interruptions but better than I thought' she side eye'd the machine happily clicking away out of sight.

'You're gonna do great today mom' Ali looked at her mom, her dark eyes connecting through the technology.

'You bet' Elizabeth half smiled. 'I love you guys'

'We're gonna be there tonight when you're out! Any cravings we can help with?' Stevie piped in.

'Oh,' truth be told Elizabeth wasn't particularly hungry, she felt bloated from the fluid building up in her system. 'I'll let you know when I'm up to eating, but bring your dad a decent sandwich for today, make sure he is eating?'

'Beltway sub dad?' Jase asked, knowing that was their go to sandwich place.

'You bet, we better ring off now, mom's heading to pre-op shortly.'

'We love you mom, you've got this,' the moment lingered in a sort of virtual team Mccord hug. Just as they rung off Esther came back in holding what was presumably Elizabeth's chart.

'Ready?' Elizabeth nodded, wrapping her robe tightly round her against the chilling morning hospital air.

'As I'll ever be' it was an odd sight, Henry walking hand in hand with Elizabeth whilst Esther expertly navigated the IV pole situation, her security team keeping in close as the approached the elevators, Elizabeth could feel Henry's white knuckled grip on her hands, sweat building between their palms as they descend a few floors down to the OR suite. They bypassed the normal check in desk and were shown to a small room with a gurney and a seat, presumably where they'd be waiting until the surgery, a surgical cap sitting neatly on a folded blanket.

'Can we pray' Elizabeth wasn't the religious type ordinarily, but she knew Henry was going to retreat to the chapel at least for a time while they waited. Henry sat beside her on the bed, clasping his wife's hand in his, muttering under his breath, gently kissing her forehead as they finished. She had more tears threatening, mainly from the unknown of what was about to occur. A nurse came in to do some pre-checks and then the surgical attending stopped in, drawing on her lower back to mark the side they'd be working on. They realised it would be possible to use her previous scar from Iran, although not ideal it was safer to not create more scar tissue. She felt a chill down her spine as the sharpie marked the spot. Shortly after the surgeon an anaesthesiologist stopped by, explaining again how she'd be approaching things and how they were experienced and worked as a team. She reminded them of the extra tubes she'd have after the operation and how they'd keep Henry up to date.

'Someone will be back to get you in a couple of minutes so I'll leave you to say your goodbyes and see you soon Elizabeth,' Henry turned to his wife and enveloped her in an almost crushing yet careful hug, drinking in the smell of her, her essence and being. She shed her own dressing gown as the nurse came to take her back.

'I love you' he gave a quick kiss and watched as they took her down the corridor and through a set of electronic doors. His own tears threatened, almost audibly as an assistant helped him gather her gown up and showed him back to the lifts and directed him to her room.

Elizabeth meanwhile felt the cold room as she sat on the operating table, her gown parted to reveal the marked skin. 'I'll have you lie down first of all' she figured that was an easy request. 'we'll put the monitors onto our system and then you're going to feel me poke at your wrist, I'm putting a special type of IV line in that monitors BP.' The bright lights obscured her vision, 'we're also putting a mask on your face, it's just some oxygen to pre-load your system.'

It wasn't long till her blood pressure was audible on the monitor, beat to beat like her heart rate. 'Okay Elizabeth, we'll take this nice and slowly, I'm giving you some pain relief just now, it'll feel like you've had a wine or two.'

'A nice chardonnay' Elizabeth muttered sleepily as the medication took effect.

'Sounds ideal, you'll also smell some funny gas as you drift off.' Her kindly voice, or the medication, helped her relax as her eyes became heavy. 'We'll take good care of you' she lapsed unconscious as the team moved into action.


	7. Chapter 7

_Apologies for the delay, I've been away on holiday and on a course with work! Hope you enjoy this chapter, please review and let me know what you think_

CHAPTER 7

'ELIZABETH' a loud voice was calling in her ear, blackness still enveloping her vision, 'open your eyes for me' she understood what they were asking but physically she couldn't. Her body didn't feel connected to her mind, 'operation is all over, time to wake up, Henry's waiting to see you.' Her eyes opened, blurred brightness swimming in her vision. She tried to lift a hand, realising someone was holding it gently as she felt herself gag.

'gag reflex is back, cuff down and prepare to extubate,' the order was clear and concise as she felt the obstruction lift, the expert team swiftly replacing the tube with a mask. 'take some big breaths Elizabeth, it'll help clear your lungs.' Trying to take a deep breath only resulted in a cough that lead to her almost gagging again, she felt a small area of back nip and tug causing her to wince, a tear rolling down her face.

'You've got some pain relief on board, we'll get you more in recovery, kay' She felt herself moving, or rather the bed accompanied by a multitude of tubes and wires move out of the OR, her arms moving as she figured out her surroundings.

'Room 1' she heard someone yell as they reversed her into the private area. A handover detailed what had happened, how the six-hour surgery had gone well and aside a small blood pressure dip she was doing well, technical jargon followed explaining what lines she had and what medication pumps were being used. She clumsily removed the oxygen mask from her face, 'Henry' she sighed, drifting back off to sleep with the mask on her forehead.

'He knows you're out, but we'll wait till your more awake, let us get you settled in' the nurse replaced her mask as she lifted a thumb in agreement. 'Good, is it sore anywhere?' the nurse was lifting various machines off the bed attaching them behind her bed onto a pole.

'a bit...tummy' she was still pretty out of it, 'not bad...if I cou..' she felt intoxicated, her mind was still bathing in a quart of pain killers and she felt numb otherwise. The room lights dimmed as she drifted off to sleep again, the recovery nurse doing some documentation as she waited for Henry to be shown through. She recognised him immediately, noting the worry on his face as he approached his wife's bed.

Taking her hand gently he kissed her forehead, 'hey sweetheart,' she opened her eyes wearily, her mouth dry from the procedure. 'You did so great, the kids are waiting upstairs.'

'Henry,' he smiled, she was either high on pain killers or still coming out of the anaesthetic, probably both.

'I'm right here babe, the surgeon said it went really well, the tumour is gone.' His own tears of relief falling.

'Gone' she repeated sluggishly. He nodded as she tried to focus on his face. 'Good'

'Yeah, everyone's been keeping me company today, Will phoned and your team stopped in to make sure I had eaten.' She squeezed his hand, trying to settle into a comfier position on the bed without success.

'Take it easy sweetheart,' Henry looked to the nurse with some degree of panic. 'Let's not mess up the fine surgeon's handiwork.'

'Why don't you give us five minutes, we need to check the wounds and make sure her skins okay. I'll come get you once we're done.' Henry nodded, relieved that albeit gobbledegook he spoken to her.

'Sure, I'll go let our kids know' Henry left the PACU and headed to the waiting room now filled with the McCord's, some of her team and some folk from the white house sent to keep Conrad up to date. 'She's doing great, groggy, but great' smiles went around much like they had with the surgeon's news. The room was littered with coffee cups and half eaten sandwiches, they'd set up quite a camp waiting on news.

It was less than an hour later that she found herself in the step-down unit, Henry back at her side as they rechecked all the monitors and pumps, 'Henry,' she was more intelligible but still exhausted, 'I wanna see the kids.' He nodded and left the room briefly as she fell back asleep again.

'Mom' the kids piled into the small room stirring her from sleep. 'Mom, you did so great.'

She smiled, her mask having been switched to nasal oxygen. 'Hey,' she smiled, forcing her weary eyes open again… 'did dad do okay?' her mind was still hazy.

'He did great,' Henry was hanging back at the sliding door, 'everyone was rooting for you.' Stevie exclaimed, waiting till her siblings lent in to give their momma a kiss. 'How you feeling?'

'A bit groggy, or high,' she smiled, her eye fluttering shut intermittently. 'Happy to see you guys'

'Lets let mom get some sleep for a while, go get some of your homework done and I'll come get you when sleeping beauty is up to company again.' Henry watched the kids file out, relieved they'd got over the first big hurdle. 'You sure you're okay.'

'Sleepy' she was more coherent by the minute but the toll was evident.

'Still cute though,' Henry smiled, pulling a chair up beside her bed, 'I'll be right here if you need me.' She smiled and closed her eyes again, her breathing evening out and her monitors settling down as her sleep deepened. She barely rose for the rest of the afternoon as nurses popped in and out of the room, tapping buttons and occasionally readjusting monitors. Henry too intermittently napped, the news quietly telling their story in the background.

 _'Madam secretary successfully underwent an unknown procedure this morning. It is understood she is doing well and is out of surgery. Undersecretary Cushings is taking over her duties until she makes a full recovery.'_

It was long since dark outside when she next awoke, her room subtly lit, 'hey', she turned to Henry who was softly reading, she'd heard him for the last twenty minutes, content in the half asleep half-awake stupor. 'No wonder our kids slept so well, I'd forgotten how good a reader you are' he leaned forward to kiss her arm, finding some skin without a machine taped to it.

'Hey sleepyhead,' he smiled, 'how you feeling?' he noticed her mouth was dry as she greatfully took the water he offered. 'They've got you a pain button, once you're awake enough to work it?'

'Mmm,' she tried to wiggle around and adjust her position, but pain stabbed in her back causing her to grimace. A nurse quickly came over and explained how the pump worked and a few clicks later she was feeling more comfortable.

'Conrad's threatening to drop by tonight to visit,' Henry mused, watching her become more-drowsy with the pain killers. 'He doesn't believe that you're okay.'

'No point in stopping him,' she sighed, her eyes slowly closing as she drifted off to sleep again. 'Not much to see though.' They were interrupted as her surgeon stopped by, having finished in the OR for the day. He had a brief look at the wound and even Henry was impressed at the tiny size.

'I told Henry earlier, but it went like a dream, we got the sucker out and it's being processed at the lab as we speak. It didn't look malignant, but we won't know until it's tested. I must warn you things may get worse before they get better. There's a honeymoon period after surgery for a day or two where people feel okay and manage and then feel worse on day 2 or 3.' Henry squeezed her hand, it wasn't the news he wanted but he had been impressed how well she was looking. 'I'll stop by in the morning, lay low tonight and listen to the nurses?' The surgeon gave her a caring smile and left.

'Can I get you anything?' Henry rearranged her bedside cabinet, moving her phone out of reach as they started settling for the night.

'Ice chips? If I'm allowed? My mouth feels like the Sahara desert' her voice sounded dry as she tried to wriggle up the bed again, wires pulling at her skin. 'Urgh, I know how the back of computer feels.' Henry stifled a snort turning to help move the cables up her bed.

'It won't be long, your body's gone 10 rounds today,' he reminded her, grateful she'd found a comfy spot. He sat down and took her hand, rubbing circles on her arm as she fought sleep again, 'just rest Elizabeth,' he whispered, kissing her forehead as she drifted off. 'We've got you' he dimmed the lights as the bustle of shift change happened outside.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

'HENRY' he voice was weak but high pitched, 'Sick' she could feel the vomit curdling at the back of her throat. He leapt from the seat and caught her just in time, the retching aggravating he abdomen. 'It hurts' she sobbed, letting him wipe her mouth and find a cold press for her forehead. 'Ut-oh' another wave of nausea caused more vomiting, her hand reaching to brace the wounds.

'You're okay, it's okay,' he braced her against his chest as he reached to call a nurse for help. 'Shh' rubbing circles on her back he felt her settle slightly. 'I've got you sweetheart,' the sliding door hissed open and a nurse quickly replaced the bowl and said she'd get some anti-emetic medication and bring an anaesthesiologist to review the pain.

'It's possibly related to the opiates in her pump' she explained, gently removing the button from Elizabeth's clammy hand. She called the order in for more meds and started taking observations sat holding Elizabeth's hand.

'How do we fix this? She's sore and the retching is making it worse.' Henry was concerned, he'd never seen Elizabeth so poorly. She was drowsy, whimpering quietly and concentrating on trying not to vomit.

'The anaesthesiologist can help with that, they won't be long. Let's start with some nausea meds and I'll turn the fan on. It's not protocol but I'm going to put an alcohol wipe next to your oxygen, it's an old wives trick' The room was swiftly re-arranged and relief was evident on Elizabeth's face, the meds quickly kicking in.

An abrupt looking older woman appeared at the door, opening it and introducing herself as the on-call anaesthesiologist. 'Reacting to the morphine are we madam secretary?'

'Elizabeth, not at work,' she still sounded shaky as Henry eyed the woman up suspiciously.

'On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being no pain and 10 being labour where are we at?' Her gaze was a little intense but at 3 am neither Mccord was caring about niceties.

'8, I've aggravated everything with the retching,'

'okay, your BP is still okay for me to site an epidural, it'll numb the pain' the nurse headed out the room without being asked to fetch the kit, 'risks are bleeding, infection and failure. Our alternative is to switch opiates but if you've vomited after the little amount you had it's gonna cause hours of misery and then an epidural afterwards.'

'What about the BP, why is that an issue?' Henry was concerned, the arrogance was either that or an autistic trait.

'You had endocrine surgery, they can play funny with the BP but if you're monitored and we can push IV fluids it's a safe option.' Elizabeth nodded, the dull ache in her side was now a raging poker preventing her from doing anything. She grasped at Henry's hand, giving him a look.

'Can I get you to sign this paper,' Elizabeth managed an illegible scrawl and had Henry countersign the paperwork. 'If you get comfy on your good side I'll have your husband help hold your position and we can get started.' Henry was glad of having something to do, his strong form helping her brace in the position needed, settling Elizabeth as the cleaning solution startled her. The needle was simply another poker in her already sore back. There wasn't much discussion as the tube was sited and fed up to her shoulder much like it had been when she was in labour. Elizabeth appreciated the instantaneous relief, her body relaxing enough to get comfy and allow her mind to steady. As quickly as the ruckus had happened it settled again and Henry was left in the dimly lit room to watch his wife drift back into a deep slumber, the new pump easing her pain. She was starting to look bloated, her body working hard to kick start the healing process. Despite her pale and sallow skin she was beautiful, her strength emanating in her breathing and occasional whimpers. He'd never figured her PTSD might worsen, the trauma of a week of uncertainty taking its toll. He let a few tears slip out as she continued to sleep, making himself as comfy as possible still holding her hand as exhaustion overtook him.

The next thing he was aware of was his phone buzzing on the table, grappling with his glasses he lifted it up and tried to focus.

 _How's mom?'_ it was Stevie

' _a bumpy night with side effects, the pain pump made her vomit, epidural in for pain and no more spew.'_ He turned to Elizabeth, slightly slumped in bed she was fast asleep, snoring lightly. ' _settled and fast asleep just now,'_

 _'Can we visit?'_

 _'Maybe later today, she needs to rest,_ ' he put the phone down and headed to the bathroom. The noise of him running water must have stirred her, movement audible from her bed.

'Hey sleepy,' he smiled, his clothes crumpled, aware he desperately needed a shower. 'How you feeling?'

'Much more comfy, and I can't even feel my legs,' she smiled weakly, 'it's weird, I know the wounds are there but they're completely numb.' She tried to lift a leg and felt her toe flicker with the effort. 'That lady was a bit rude, but my goodness she sorted things out.' The lethargy was evident in her voice.

'Yeah, she sure did,' he replied grateful they were on an even keel again. 'I've told the kids to come in later once you've slept some more.' She looked disappointed but knew he was trying to protect her, 'I don't want you overdoing things,'

'The biggest excitement I'll get is moving to that chair,' she nodded to the recliner in the corner.

'Well we still have the rest of that novel to read,' she rolled her eyes in mocked horror.

'Can you put the news on?' he shook his head, she tried to pout but realised she didn't actually care, aware that they could further upset the applecart of her recovery with world stress.

The morning turned out to be pleasingly dull, she slept whilst Henry nipped away for a shower and to find food, the teams had been happy with the progress despite the overnight blip and promised to consider moving her out the following day, pain dependent. The nurses had helped her brush her teeth and tidy up, changing her wound dressings and making sure she was well taken care of. By visiting time that evening she'd been awake enough to sit out of bed with the kids whilst they regaled their day and shared updates from the outside world. Henry had embargoed anyone else from stopping by, taking a team decision to keep it family only until she was back in her own room.


	9. Chapter 9

_This is the last full chapter, I have a short epilogue that I will post soon! Enjoy and thanks for coming on the ride!_

CHAPTER 9

Two days on since the op and Elizabeth was grateful to be back in her original room, she'd progressed well, riding out the forewarned bad day in step-down and returning later in the evening to more comfortable, private surroundings. They'd taken her epidural and most of the monitors away, her wrist no longer covered in a bloody bandage. She was predictably weary, her energy consumed by the healing process. Her abdomen was shades of blue and purple, the skin tight and tender to touch, her face sallow with the fluid she'd been given. Despite it all she'd mustered a smile for most of the day and had managed to stay awake long enough to have visitors. Her team had brought some bear claws and decaf coffee to tempt her appetite, commenting on the pyjamas she'd kept for their visit. She'd not been told any office worries, enjoying pictures of Daisy's baby and updates about Chloe starting pre-school. Henry had slowly picked up with work, knowing he'd have his hands full when she got home in the next couple of days.

Without the bind of a catheter she'd taken to walking the floor every couple of hours, clinging to the drip stand for support as she built up her stamina. Henry was glad to get out and wander as well, their chatter turning to what they'd do to celebrate her getting back to normal, he'd offered to retreat to the farm or go further afield. 'Paris, we never did get to that conference, I want to wander the streets for hours in the crisp winter air,' she was referencing her lack of fresh air in almost a week, cooped up in her room.

'Paris it is!' Henry smiled, taking her lovingly by the arm. 'I'll book it once we know when you can fly.' She playfully grumped, knowing it wouldn't be a comfortable flight until she had properly healed. 'And I still reckon we should go to the farm for a while regardless.' She nodded.

The only concern he'd had was her appetite, picking and choosing what she would eat, settling for milkshakes to keep her weight up. The surgeons hadn't been concerned and explained that with the bloating and stress of surgery it would pick up eventually and that she was better eating when and what she wanted. This had resulted in some slightly odd requests but between the kids, her team and his persistence they'd managed to keep her stocked with snacks. A nightly routine had developed, the kids stopping by take-out food and movie options, making her room homelier. They had shared the good night on her penultimate night in the hospital, shortly after lunch her surgeon had come in, finding Henry gently embracing Elizabeth on the windowsill, enjoying the commanding city view. They'd separated quickly, Elizabeth returning to her bed as the usual daily checks had been undertaken. 'The pathology report was good, you don't have cancer, it was a benign phaeochromocytoma as we expected.' Lifting the heavy weight had been huge, Bess sighing in relief.

'When can I bust out?' she'd asked, as she had done every day since her surgery.

'Tomorrow all going well, you're on three weeks of furlough, a week's house arrest, a week of mornings only then you can go back to normal duties.' The statement was followed by a stern look.

'I can live with that, we…' She didn't have the energy to think about work right now, 'when can I fly again? This one's promised to take me to Paris.' Henry playful rubbed her shoulders as the surgeon considered.

'Give it a month, and you come see me before you go? You'll need extra precautions for blood clots, but it shouldn't be an issue.' They smiled, Elizabeth shaking the surgeon's hand, grateful they'd be done with hospital life the following day.

MSMSMSMSMSMS

It had taken till the late morning for her discharge paperwork to be ready, she'd dressed in comfy workout pants and a cashmere jumper, careful nothing was sitting over her healing wounds as she sat impatiently waiting. Henry had gone home to take her stuff back and get the house ready for her (namely tidying up the kids' trail of destruction). She'd caught up with the news and conferenced into a meeting with work to let them know of her restrictions. She'd be allowed her email and maximum of two house visits a day for work purposes as long as she'd take it easy. They agreed to not schedule anything unless urgent and had expressed their collective relief that she was well on the road to recovery. 'You'll be back annoying us in no time,' Jay quipped, 'we miss you' he added seriously.

'You bet,' she'd almost started playing candy crush when her papers arrived and shortly after Henry with a warm jacket and her favourite pashmina scarf, ready to escort her home. Grudgingly she'd taken a seat in the wheelchair, aware she had no real option. Accompanied by her security team they'd made short shrift of getting her to the side entrance and into the SUV the fresh, cold winter air revitalising for her cabin fever.

Gingerly climbing the front stairs she heaved a huge sigh of relief as the door shut behind them. Home, finally where she belonged.

'You did so great,' Henry pulled her into a hug, 'I never doubted you but the way …' he choked momentarily. 'To go through all of that and not complain is impressive,' she smiled, cozied into his chest.

'Elizabeth 1 stupid tumour thing nil' He carefully squeezed her tight, kissing her forehead softly. 'I wouldn't have done it without you though Dr Mccord.' She lent up to meet his lips with hers.

'Team Mccord' he beamed, grateful they'd got her home in one piece.


	10. Epilouge

_Thank you to everyone who left reviews and came with me on this story. It was fun to write and I hope you've enjoyed reading it. I wanted it to have closure and hope this gives you that. Reviews are loved like Henry loves Bess!_

 _Epilouge_

They stepped off the plane into the Parisian airport terminal, the first-class flight leaving them fresh and ready to go and explore one of their favourite places. She'd forgone the offer of making it an 'official' visit, opting to book the most ridiculously expensive hotel they could find. She felt almost back to her old self, back to work, back to nagging the kids and back to being her. Henry had stopped fussing quite so much, enjoying having his wife back. The surgeon had been impressed with her healing, glad they'd be able to part ways and let her get on.

Sipping champagne on the balcony of the hotel room she lent on the railing, the midday winter sun catching her golden curls lightly as she wrapped her scarf closer, her frame returning to its former healthy self. Henry watched her gently sip the champagne, drinking in the bustling street and atmosphere. They'd gone to hell and back, reminding them that life is precious, reminding them that love does conquer all and that whatever God had in store for them was going to make them stronger, even if at first it didn't seem like it. He rose from the bed and joined her on the balcony, enveloping her in a hug, his hands wandering as she chortled in delight, bathing in the perfect they had created.


End file.
